Nest Labs, Inc. , a pioneer in home automation, has just released the third generation Nest Learning Thermostat. The new unit comes with a slimmer profile, a high-resolution display that is 40 percent larger than the last, and it also comes with an updated user interface to make it easier to read temperatures, alerts and messages.

The Nest Learning Thermostat has been proven by third-party researchers to save people, on average, about 10 to 12 percent on their heating bills and about 15 percent on their cooling bills – Maxime Vernon, head of hardware product marketing.

That’s quite an accomplishment and proves that the investment in the Nest Learning Thermostat can pay for itself in a matter of time, depending on your monthly cost for electricity. The next generation Nest will be available at 7,000 retail locations and from 25,000 Nest Pro Installers. It will also be available through partners like Southern Company, Direct Energy, SunEdison, amongst many others who will provide the Nest Learning Thermostat at a discount or no cost.

Here is a list of new features in the 3rd generation Nest Learning Thermostat:

Sleek new design – The Nest Thermostat has a 40 percent larger, brighter, high-resolution screen and new graphics so you can see it easier from far away. The crisp display has 229 pixels per inch (PPI), 25 percent more than the 2nd generation Nest Thermostat. The 3rd generation Nest Thermostat also has a slightly thinner profile to be more flush against the wall.

Farsight – Previously, you had to be pretty close – about 3 feet (1 meter) away – to get the Nest Thermostat to wake up and turn on the display. Farsight takes advantage of the new highresolution screen so that you can see useful information on the Nest Thermostat from across the room. You can set the thermostat to display target temperature, an analog clock or digital clock, or turn Farsight off.

Furnace Heads-Up – Most heating and forced air furnaces have an automatic shutoff to avoid overheating. The Nest Thermostat will look for shutoff patterns that indicate there’s a persistent problem and if so, you’ll get a Heads-Up message in the Nest app and on the thermostat screen twice per year, and you’ll also get a notice in your monthly Home Report. (Furnace Heads-Up will be available for 1st and 2nd generation customers later this year.)

And, like the 1st and 2nd generation, the 3rd generation Nest Thermostat will also include the following integrations with Nest Protect and Nest Cam.

• When Nest Protect sounds a Heads-Up or Emergency Alarm for smoke or carbon monoxide (CO), in addition to a Nest app notification you’ll see a message on the Nest Thermostat display to help you know what’s going on. The Nest Thermostat can automatically shut off fossil fuel based heating systems, which is the leading cause of CO leaks in the home, in case that is the source.

• Nest Protect enhances the Nest Thermostat’s Auto-Away feature by improving Nest’s knowledge of when you’re home or away.

• You can set your Nest Cam to begin automatically recording when you switch your Nest Thermostat into Home or Away mode.

The 3rd generation Nest Learning Thermostat can be purchased today for $249 through Nest.com, Amazon.com, and Bestbuy.com. It will also be available for purchase to Best Buy stores, Google Store, The Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Target and Verizon Wireless soon. Now that the 3rd generation has been released, you can save $50 dollars on the 2nd generation Nest Learning Thermostat for a price of $199 while supplies last.

If you have a Nest, let us know how you like it in the comments section below.

Source